A journal dedicated to truth, freedom of speech and radical spiritual consciousness. Our mission is the liberation of men and women from oppression, violence and abuse of any kind, interpersonal, political, religious, economic, psychosexual. We believe as Fidel Castro said, "The weapon of today is not guns but consciousness."

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Now Available for Black History Month: Marvin X, Living History in Your Midst

Tureada Miken, Judy Juanita, former editor of the Black Panther
Newspaper, Marvin X. Judy reminded Marvin and told the audience, she
remembers Marvin X at Merritt College as skinny as a toothpick. Eldridge
Cleaver described him as a skinny Black Buddha.

Marvin X in Laney College Theatre dressing room, October 1, 2016,
getting read to go on stage. He taught drama at Laney College, 1981,
produced his play In the Name of Love.

Ayodele Nzinga's play Mama at Twilight, Death by Love is a powerful
family drama dealing with love, faith, belief, dreams and death. She has
a cast of seasoned actors in our beloved social activist Cat Brooks as
Mama, and seasoned actors Pierre Scott (Dad) and Stanley Hunt as Son. We
also had excellent supporting actors in Noelle Guess as Tonya as and
Julian Green as Kris.

Cat Brooks as Mama and Julian Green as son Kris
photo Standing Rock

We must note the music of Sade as a liet motif or recurring musical
comment on the theme. Sade's Soldier of a Love became a character and/or
choral comment on the main action, constantly reinforcing the central
theme of love. Nzinga grapples with love that approaches blindness and
denial when the wife contracts HIV but never will admit she may have
contracted it from her dope dealing, womanizing, convict husband. Her
faith in him is so solid that she won't allow him to be tested. It is
the daughter Tanya who finally confronts her dad with the possibility he
may have contracted HIV from his frequent visits to prison. In this
most poignant scene, son Chris acknowledges his gay identity and departs
the household only to return after the transition of his mother. His
return ends the play on a note of family unity, as in Shakespeare's
All's Well that Ends Well! Or shall we go to Cheikh Anta Diop's theory
of African tragi-comedy as the primary theme of African drama as opposed
to tragedy as the major theme of Northern Cradle or European dramatic
tradition. In the end, family love and unity puts Mama at Tw theilight,
Death by Love in the African dramatic tradition.

As we know from her real life role as social activist against police
terror, actress Cat Brooks has a powerful voice and her role as Mama
revealed she can be sensitive and soft as the daughter Tanya described
the feminine gender in her metaphoric delineation of male and female
fruits, such as mangoes, pears, oranges, etc.

We have watched Pierre Scott perfect his acting skills in the ten-cycle
plays of August Wilson that Dr. Ayodele Nzinga's Lower Bottom Playaz
produced in chronological order. Alas, the Lower Bottom Playaz is the
only theatre group in the world to do Wilson's plays in chronological
order. He is a seasoned actor whose every move is measured and timed to
reveal character.

Now actor Stanley Hunt was born into the theatre of his Mother, Dr.
Nzinga, thus he has been in theatre since childhood and knows how to
measure his language, verbal and body language to reveal character.

We find it most interesting that the three children are artists: Chris,
writer, Son, photographer, and Tonya,dancer. Thus, this play deals with
artistic love as well. Son wins a photography grant, though his sister
Tonya scolds him for focusing his camera on the breasts and behinds of
her fellow dancers. Tanya gives up her dancing to aid her mother. Kris
reveals his writing and sexual identity transcends his family love until
he returns home after the transition of his mother.

The set was dominated by Christian symbolism in sync with the Mama's
Christian dominated religiosity that did indeed reach the pathological
in her denial of her husband's possible infidelity that was challenged
by Tonya as we noted above.

Noelle Guess as Tonya
photo Standing Rocki

Ayodele has written a powerful drama of North American African family
life. I don't know how anyone in the Bay Area can avoid attending this
drama at the Flight Deck Theatre, 1540 Broadway, downtown Oakland. The
play runs from January 12 through 29, 2017.
www.lowerbottomplayaz.com
510-332-1319

About Me

Truth will not make you rich, but it will make you free.--Francis Bacon

Marvin has been ignored and silenced,like Malcolm would be ignored and silenced if he had lived on into the Now. He's one of the most extraordinary, exciting black intellectuals living today --Rudolph Lewis, Chickenbones.